Mistletoe
by Bassoonator
Summary: Eponine was used to spending her Christmases alone and sad. When Enjolras notices her and brings her inside the ABC Cafe, they both begin to notice things they never noticed about each other and Eponine finds herself... not having such a bad Christmas after all. One shot.


**A/N:** My first attempted Eponine/Enjolras pairing one shot! Let me know how you like it in a review? Merry Christmas lovelies, have a wonderful new years. x

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><p>Snow fell upon the pavement, covering the ground with haste. The streets of Paris were alight as the sky darkened, brightly coloured lights coming a blaze. For many, a white Christmas had positive connotations of family and love. However, for those who live in this 'white heaven,' the Christmas cheer did not linger as their toes turned blue and their homes - often the streets - became invaded by the vicious French snow.<p>

Eponine was one of those people, wrapping her knitted scarf tighter around her neck and rubbing her bare arms and licking her blue lips. The idea of frost bite lingered in her mind as she shuffled off of the road and onto the footpath where the snow had touched the least. Luckily for Eponine, she had stolen a pair of old worker's boots from a particularly nasty restaurant manager from across the town. The boots were far too large for her but stopped her toes from dealing with the snow so she found ways to make them work.

Eponine walked past the various stores, stopping at each one with the snow mans and candy canes scattered across the stores, envious. The neatly tied bows across the empty gift boxes even made her jealous. She looked at herself in the glass of a small shoe shop, furrowing her eyebrows. She remembered Christmases where she had been happy and surrounded by happiness. They had lived in the inn and Eponine had been just a child with her little braids and bonnet hat. She remembered the corrupt ways of her parents but she also remembered the joy and pride they'd had in their eyes as they looked at Eponine with her siblings. Christmas had always been her favourite holiday - Madame Thenadier would cook up a banquet of whatever they could afford, leaving those staying at the inn to fend for themselves and the family would spend the afternoon together.

That was, until her younger sister, Azelma, grew sick a few weeks from Christmas before the inn closed. She had been forced to bed rest but too poor to afford a doctor, Azelma had passed away on Christmas eve. Grief and failure had wrecked the Thenadier's. Eponine often thought that's why they became cold, un-compassionate people. They no longer respected the human kind after they lost their girl due to the immensely expensive price of a doctor's visit. Of course, who could forgive the two abusive and corrupted adults?

Certainly not Eponine.

On the rare occasions she did go home, she was greeted by a shoe slammed at the door of their small apartment with Madame Thenadier yelling, "who's there?" Eponine had long since learnt to wait twenty seconds after opening the door before walking in. The atmosphere of the apartment was anything but comfortable. She much preferred the streets, filled with prostitutes, rapists and murderers. Her home was that uncomfortable.

She looked at her gaunt face, at how her skin was pulled so tightly against her cheek bones due to the meal-less days. Her hair, once healthily wavy, now fell straight down her back, matted and dirty, looking in desperate need of some TLC. What upset her the most was her eyes - deep set bags were beneath her lifeless, cold eyes. She had once been happy - she remembered it. Christmas had been an exciting time. Yet now the holiday season simply sucked the life out of her, memories dwelling.

This was certainly going to be a long Christmas.

Of course, living on the streets, Eponine was used to being on her own - the holidays, while colder and a little sadder, were no different.

The snow continued to pelt down and after a moment of standing at the window, Eponine continued on, rubbing the snow off of her goose bump ridden skin. She found herself outside the ABC Cafe and peered inside to see the large Christmas tree in the corner of the room, decorated with fake snow and bright red tinsel. Eponine felt her face turn green with envy, her heart longing to enter yet her messy appearance in comparison to the students who sat inside, dressed in tidy, clean clothing, made her stop. Her brown eyes scoured the room, noticing the heavily decorated cafe and gleaming smiles upon the students faces. Green eyes suddenly met hers, only about a metre away. She stepped back from the window immediately, walking a few paces away in embarrassment.

She started scurrying through the snow again in the opposite direction of the cafe, conflict written plainly on her face. She felt warmth on her shoulder and instantly rested her head on it, shuddering against the cold. She then realised it was a hand and looked up beneath thick lashes to the owner of the warmth. A stern looking man was there with the same piercing green eyes as that of the man in the cafe. His bright green eyes were coated with long lashes and golden locks of hair, complimenting his well set jaw bones. Dressed in a pair of trousers and a brown coat over him, she couldn't help but notice the small French cockade upon his coat. Realisation struck her and she moved away from the man immediately.

"I'm very sorry Monsieur," she squeaked through bluish lips. A gentleness was in his green eyes however, his lips twisted upwards.

The man tilted his head to the side, his eyes taking her in. "Please," he smiled. "Call me Enjolras."

Eponine rose her head from its bowed position to meet his eyes, unsure on whether he recognised her but decided it couldn't hurt to repeat her name. "Eponine." Allowing a small smile, Eponine nodded her head in respect, her eyes trailing back to the cafe.

Enjolras still seemed to be staring at her with a strange, glazed over look in his eyes. Eponine gulped nervously, "well, I must head off..."

Enjolras' eyes flashed and he stood up a little taller, coughing to cover his strange behaviour. "Why don't you join us at the cafe? Nobody should spend Christmas alone." His eyes moved to her blue-tinted skin and he widened his eyes. "Or that cold. Here." As if some type of Christmas angel had just flew out for her, Eponine felt her small frame suddenly wrapped in a long brown coat. She touched the soft, cotton material in her fingertips, looking up at Enjolras with wide eyes. He let out a small laugh.

"You keep it, okay? You look cuter."

Eponine's cheeks flushed pink, not helped at all by his next move. He then took her hand in his - his warmth compelling and his fingers soft on hers. Eponine looked up in surprise but was met with the back of Enjolras' head as he pulled her towards the cafe. They entered the cafe, hand in hand.

Shockingly for Eponine, nobody turned around in disgust or shock but instead with a smile on their face, shouting "Merry Christmas!", a couple of the older male students even commenting on the intimacy between the two. Enjolras looked down at Eponine, a smile on his face.

Eponine couldn't help but notice how he hadn't let go of his her hand, even as he pulled her along the cafe to introduce her to various strangers who would smile gently and share humored glances between each other as they stared at Enjolras' hand. Looking around, Eponine had to force herself not to beam. This Christmas was different certainly - she was not cold and best yet, not alone.

There was certainly something about him, Eponine decided, that was intoxicating. Compelling. Something she hadn't noticed before and something that made her giddy inside. Enjolras squeezed her hand gently at that moment, sending Eponine's thoughts spiraling as her heart did something odd. A light pink dusted upon Eponine's cheeks as she was once again pulled to an empty table beside the Christmas tree.

Enjolras watched her closely, scrutinizing her as she looked around the cafe, her intelligent eyes taking in every detail, from the wooden, scratched floor to the intricately painted patterns on the home made Christmas cards that were shared around. Enjolras found her interesting, even enjoyable to watch. Was he really so naive as to not notice her after all this time, fawning around Marius? Of course not - he knew. But something fresh and... desirable came about her as he stared at her through the window, perplexed. Perhaps it was the Christmas spirit. Perhaps it was the sight of her in his too large coat. Perhaps it was how his eyes were drawn to her thick, blue lips.

As if sensing his thoughts, the students passed along the cafe with the annual mistletoe extravaganza. The entire cafe was suddenly on each couple, laughing and cheering. Even Eponine found herself turning to see what the commotion was about and widened her eyes as the mistletoe grew closer to the table she'd been dragged to. Would it be so bad to kiss Enjolras? She turned to the blonde man who stared at the event with a goofy grin on his face and pursed her lips. No... No, it would not.

"Merry Christmas," Eponine thought to herself as the mistletoe reached their table. Encouraged by the entire cafe, Enjolras raised an eye brow, his eyes flickering between Eponine's lips and eyes. Eponine was new to the concept of love - who would love a street urchin?

Yet even she could see the desire plastered on his face and mimicked on hers.

Was she really going to kiss somebody she'd just met? She felt herself breaking into a grin, nodding her head slightly and leaning in. Their lips locked gently and as if they had just announced they'd shout the next round of beers, the entire cafe broke into applause and laughing. Eponine and Enjolras pulled apart, shock on both of their faces before they joined in the laughter.

Yes, this might turn out to be a good Christmas after all.


End file.
